October 2023: Safety and compliance with workplace regulations are top-of-mind for companies in the mining, manufacturing, and construction industry, where workplace injuries are most commonplace. According to the Federated Employers Mutual Assurance (FEM), there were 6 077 reported accidents for the year in the construction industry. Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe reports in the 2022 Mine Health and Safety Statistics that there were 2 056 occupational injuries in the mining industry last year.

Picture a workplace where employees are actively engaged in safety measures, where they seek ways to maintain a safe work environment and readily comply with safety regulations. Such a workplace is possible when companies nurture a culture of safety and employee wellbeing.

“Ensuring a safe and nurturing work environment for every employee is vital to the success of modern businesses. A safe workplace can boost productivity, ease compliance, and enhance the reputation of the business. Business leaders should seek out tools and initiatives that support a safe workplace and inspire employees to comply with workplace safety rules,” says Steve Mallaby, CEO at adumo Payouts.

The keys to developing a successful safety incentive programme for employees include relevance, personalisation, and convenience. “Employees are far more likely to display the desired safety awareness and compliance when they are incentivised and see the benefits not only for the business, but for themselves. By making the safety incentive programme as relevant to each employee as possible, for example by fostering a shared sense of ownership over workplace safety, companies can boost engagement and maintain an incident-free workplace,” says Steve.

Research into operations in general industry, including manufacturing, states that to prevent exposure to a myriad of occupational health hazards, both employers and workers need to institute various risk reduction measures. Analysing available occupational disease and injury statistics (indicators of worker physical health) can be used to infer the effectiveness of risk reduction measures and regulations in preventing exposure.

In a newly released White Paper, ‘Incentivising Safety & Performance: How companies in the mining, manufacturing and construction sectors use incentives to keep employees safe, productive and happy’, Steve details some of the industry best practices that can help companies improve the success of safety incentive programmes.

“It is crucial to ensure high levels of engagement and participation with safety initiatives. Keep the needs of employees in mind when designing the safety incentives programme to ensure the ‘what’s in it for me’ element is clear to every employee. Creating a safe workplace is after all beneficial to every employee and can play a significant role in their physical and financial wellbeing,” concludes Steve.

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